Newsletter 170- June 26th 2025
- Prayer of the Week:
- From the Principal’s Desk:
- Wellbeing:
- 100 Days of Foundation:
- Last Day of Term 2:
- Teaching and Learning:
- Students of the Week:
- Living in Faith:
- Mary MacKillop Award:
- Birthdays:
- Parents and Friends:
- Diocesan/Parish news:
- Around Our Community:
- Upcoming Events:
- Our Vision and Mission:
Prayer of the Week:
God of all people,
You are a refuge for the weary,
a shelter in times of trouble,
and a companion on every journey.
During this National Refugee Week and on World Refugee Day,
we remember those who have been forced to flee their homes—
because of war, persecution, or natural disaster.
We hold in our hearts families who long for safety,
and children who dream of peace.
Lord, may we never become indifferent to their suffering.
Open our eyes to see their humanity,
our ears to hear their stories,
and our hearts to respond with compassion.
Bless those who walk alongside refugees:
the advocates, the carers, the teachers,
and all who offer welcome and hope.
Inspired by the words of Jesus—
“I was a stranger and you welcomed me” (Matthew 25:35)—
may we be a community that lives out Your call to love,
to include, and to stand with those on the margins.
We ask this through Christ our Lord,
Amen.
From the Principal’s Desk:
Commendations Process & Badges
This term, we launched the commendation aspect of our School-Wide Positive Behaviour Support (SWPBS) framework. While we continue to expect students to engage positively in our school spaces, we’re also placing strong emphasis on recognising and celebrating these behaviours through praise and tangible rewards.
The commendation process allows students to earn points toward different badge levels – a familiar concept to many students through gaming – and a proven motivator for promoting positive behaviour.
- 6 commendation points earns the Grey Badge
- 12 points earns the Teal Badge
- 18 points earns the Purple Badge
- 25 points earns the ultimate – the Black Badge (dubbed by students as the "Black Belt of badges")
The house with the most commendation points by year’s end will be awarded the House Spirit Shield, matching the design of our Cross Country and Athletics shields.
A big thank you to the Year 6 students who began developing this process last year, and to the 5/6M class who have continued working alongside me this year to bring it to life. It will be a wonderful legacy for our senior students as they move on at the end of the year.
Parents and community members – if you observe any great examples of positive behaviour during drop-off or pick-up, please let me know so commendation points can be awarded!
Staffing Updates
In Week 11, we welcome back Fiona Harney from Long Service Leave. In Term 3, Fiona will be teaching in 5/6M as Leon recovers from knee surgery. She’ll also take on roles in what will be 3/4H (3/4J) and continue a day in 5/6M as the term progresses.
Next week we will also farewell Sue Gunnell with a morning tea. Sue has served our school community for many years as our grounds person, and we sincerely thank her for her efforts in keeping our grounds neat, tidy and functional for our students. We now warmly welcome Chris Henderson, who will take on grounds and maintenance responsibilities.
Finally, we extend our very best wishes to Claire as she finishes with us at the end of next week. We thank her for her contributions and wish her every success in the future.
Bettina
Wellbeing:
Wellbeing day 2025
Last Friday, our school came together to celebrate Wellbeing Day. It was a special event dedicated to exploring the different ways we can support our mental, emotional, social, and physical wellbeing.
The day began with a whole-school gathering on the oval, where some of our Year 6 leaders led us in prayer and an Acknowledgement of Country. Students then rotated through a range of engaging activities designed to promote calm, connection, creativity, and movement.
These included:
- Yoga
- Worry Boxes and affirmation cards
- Sick room mural
- Nature mandalas
- Dance and music
- Team-building games
- Mindfulness and reflection – using the Bluey story
There was a wonderful sense of joy and community throughout the day. A big thank you to the PNF for providing a delicious lunch and to all the staff and our volunteers - Ellie, Lolah, Laila and Holly who helped make the day such a success.
It was a fantastic opportunity for students to connect, recharge, and reflect on the many ways we can look after our wellbeing.
Eventide Visit – 3/4J and Year 1
Over the past two weeks students from Year 1 and 3/4J visited Eventide Homes for a fun and interactive afternoon with the residents. The students took part in a range of activities including indoor golf, Nerf gun target shooting, throwing games, and collaborative painting. It was a wonderful opportunity for students to connect with the residents, share laughter, and brighten each other’s day through creativity and play.
Lauren Broadbent
Mental Health and Wellbeing Leader
100 Days of Foundation:
To celebrate 100 Days of
To recognise all the hard
On the day, Foundation students will
We ask that each child brings
As part of our celebration,
We are looking forward to a
Lauren Broadbent
Founation Teacher
Last Day of Term 2:
Next Friday the 4th of July is our last day of term 2!
- MiniVinnies have organised a Casual Clothes Day with a gold coin donation.
- Assembly this week is presentation of Commedation Badges. Assembly will start at 1.45pm.
- Early Dismissal time of 2.10pm
Teaching and Learning:
School Assemblies: Our assemblies happen each Friday afternoon starting at 2:45pm in the school hall. Students are dismissed from the hall on this day. We invite all our community to come along.
Week 10: Art
Week 11: Commendation Badges Presentation
Professional Development: At St Patrick’s Primary School we are committed to Professional Development of our team. At various times staff members will be working off site or online which may result in classroom teachers being out of the classroom.
Term 2 Week 11-
Mrs Celine Bush LSL - Fiona and Marnie P covering
Miss Melissa Bonney LSL- Fiona covering
Junior B:
We have had a wonderful term of learning in Junior B.
Everyone has been working really hard to do their best, learn lots and most of all enjoy school. We’ve had a few birthday celebrations in the past month and we have all enjoyed some delicious cakes.
During InitiaLit, we have learned lots of new digraphs, trigraphs and tricky words. Most recently we have been learning about the ‘bossy e’ and how it makes the vowel sound long. We have to look at each word to see if there is an 'e' on the end and then think about the vowel sound. We have all been working really hard on our spelling tests each week, lots of us are practising at home which is helping us to learn how to write the words perfectly.
There is lots of fantastic writing taking place in the classroom. We are learning how to write a super sentence. That is a sentence that begins with a capital letter and finishes with a full stop. We have also been learning that sentences always have a subject and a verb in them.
We have had lots of fun writing sentences about the new vocabulary we have been learning such as - scrumptious, mischief, ingenious, devour, gorgeous, congratulate, spectacular, ferocious, delightful, command and dreadful.
In Maths we have been learning about doubles and near doubles. It has been fun to learn all of the doubles up to 10 + 10. We have also been learning about how we can use doubles to help us solve other sums, such as 10 + 9. We can use doubles + 1 or doubles + 2.
In Religion we have been learning about ‘participating’. Many of us brought in photos of our baptism to share with the class. We have been talking about how Jesus prayed with his friends and how this helped him to have a closer relationship with God. We have really enjoyed singing the ‘The Our Father’ by Sr Janet Mead, which became a US number 1 hit song! We have also been learning about how Jesus wants us to use our gifts to help others. When we help people, it is important that we listen to them and give them a say in the decisions which affect them. This is called ‘subsidiarity’.
Finally, we have continued learning Auslan and are becoming more and more familiar with words, letters and phrases. The children are all very quick learners and many of them are the experts!
Ada - This year I am proud of all the phrases I use in my writing.
Amelia - This year I am proud of the way I form all of the letters of the Alphabet.
Anthony - This year I am proud of my fantastic handwriting.
Aurie - This year I am proud of how well I did at the Athletic sports.
Aynsley – This year I am proud of all the words I can spell.
Billie - This year I am proud of my Maths because I know plus and takeaway.
Bobby - This year I am proud of how I do Auslan, I do it very well.
Charlie - This year I am proud of my InitiaLit work.
Evelyn – This year I am proud of everything I know in Auslan.
Flynn - This year I am proud of my letters writing, InitiaLit and the sums that I can do in maths.
Harrison - This year I am proud of myself for my running at the Athletics.
Indiana - This year I am proud of my InitiaLit and all of the sounds and words I have learned in InitiaLit.
Joanna - This year I am proud of my neat handwriting and my colouring in.
Johan - This year I am proud of all of the sounds I know in InitiaLit.
Judd - This year I am proud of my writing because I have improved so much.
Juliet – This year I am proud of all of the double plus twos I can do.
Jye - This year I am proud of all of the addition, subtraction and time tables that I can do.
Leon - This year I am proud of being nice to people.
Mackenzie - This year I am proud of my recounts and handwriting.
Oyin - This year I am proud of all of the words and phrases I know in Auslan.
Rhylen - This year I am proud of my athletics because I came grade 1 champion and all of the doubles I know.
Scott - This year I am proud of the story I wrote for my cold write.
Thea - This year I am proud of how I can write all of the letters correctly.
Zeke - This year I am proud of my maths work and my artwork.
Parent-Teacher Interviews – Why They Matter
Parent-teacher interviews are a valuable opportunity to connect with your child’s teacher, gain insights into their progress, and work together to support their learning and wellbeing. Even if things seem to be going smoothly, these conversations can provide helpful context about classroom routines, expectations, and your child’s engagement and growth.
You might like to ask questions such as:
- What are my child’s strengths in the classroom?
- Are there areas where they need extra support or extension?
- How do they interact with their peers?
- What goals should we be focusing on for the next term?
- How can we support learning at home?
Attending these meetings sends a strong message to your child that their learning matters. We encourage all families to take part in this important opportunity to strengthen the school-home partnership.
Students of the Week:
Week 9:
Bridgette Harrington - For always being a helpful member of the classroom and making progress in completing more of your work.
Patrick Crosbie - For being a kind and helpful member of the class who is always willing to support others. You share thoughtful prayers and encourage your classmates to show kindness and help those in need.
Indiana Schumann - For demonstrating the learning superpowers of being a Risk-Taker and being so Self- Motivated to do your work and do it as best as you can. Congratulations Indiana! Keep up the wonderful efforts!
Billie Carlsen - For the care and concern you show to all of the children at St Patrick's each and every day. We are so lucky to have you in our school and classroom. Congratulations and thank you Billie from all of us.
Chevy Haynes - For the hard work you have been putting into your assessments this week. Your hard work is showing through your results. Well done Chevy!
Valeria Di Pietro - For the wonderful progress you have made in your reading. Your fluency and expression makes it a joy to listen to you read. Well done Valeria!
Ruby Allan - For the wonderful progress and confidence you have shown with your addition algorithms. Keep up the great work Ruby!
Fletcher Jones - For the excellent effort you put into your researching, note taking and sentence writing skills as part of your information report on crocodiles. Well done!
Jack Driscoll - For the fantastic effort you've shown during our morphology lessons on plurals. You’ve shown a great understanding of spelling rules and used them confidently in your writing. Well done!
Saviero Di Pietro- For the excellent effort you've shown during our Maths lessons on kilograms and litres. You've demonstrated great focus, understanding, and a positive attitude towards learning. Well done!
Allira Lovett - For the commitment and dedication you have shown in your learning during Semester One. Well done on using all your Super Powers to complete tasks. You should be so proud of what you have achieved!
Boston McGaffin - For the persistence you have shown during Maths, Your ability to take your time and listen to feedback has helped you consolidate your skills in multiplication. Well done!
Abby O'Donnell - For the resilience you show every day at school. You are a wonderful role-model for your fellow classmates Abby!
Ethan Prydderch - For the amazing result you achieved in your recent Pat Maths assessment. It is a fitting reward for all the hard work you have been putting in.
Week 10:
Lexi Mifsud - For always being willing to help others and for improving your focus during group time. You have been sharing your ideas more confidently and contributing positively to discussions.
Ethel Abin - For showing kindness and respect to your teachers and classmates. You are developing confidence in sharing your ideas and matching words with their beginning sounds in your writing.
Juliet Fraser - For the politeness, care and kindness you give to everyone in our class. You make others feel so special and included Juliet. Thank you!
Oyin Ogunmola - For always displaying your Superpowers of being Self-Motivated and Resilient every day. Thank you for being a wonderful member of our class Oyin!
Harry Devery - For the hard work you have put into learning the jump strategy in Maths. You are an expert now, well done Harry!
Mia Ampt - For using your collaborative learner superpower while helping a classmate in their learning. You are an asset to our classroom Mia, thank you!
Henry Tyler - For displaying great collaboration skills with your partner to complete your Google Slide presentation on Dignity. Well done and keep it up!
Jai Hine - For displaying great resilience and collaboration skills while working with your partner to complete your Google Slide presentation on Dignity. Well done Jai!
Edie MacPherson - For your thoughtful understanding of Dreamtime stories and the creativity you've shown in beginning to write your own. What a wonderful storyteller you are becoming.
Harrison Sutherland - For always being kind and considerate towards others. Your caring nature makes our classroom a better place every day. Thank you!
Eleanor Erwin - For always showing kindness and inclusivity to your classmates. What a wonderful role model you are. Thank you!
Awuom Kur - For consistently reaching out for feedback to uplevel your work. Well done on being the best learner you can be!
Aaliyah Carlsen - For the versatility you displayed while representing the school in regional netball last week. Well done Aaliyah!
Lachlan Mackley - For the growth you have made in Maths this semester. It is great to see you taking on feedback and setting goals for your future learning.
Living in Faith:
Refugee Week
For Refugee Week 2025, the Refugee Council of Australia will continue our three-year theme of Finding Freedom, with a focus on diversity in community to emphasise the vital role community plays in all our lives, regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, gender, language, disability, sexuality and age.
What does it mean to be free?
To live without the fear of war, to have your basic human rights upheld, to live in equality and without the fear of persecution are just some of the examples of what freedom can entail. Every day millions of people across the world embark on dangerous journeys for the sole purpose of finding safety and freedom. From Australia to nations across the globe, settling into a new environment after experiencing the perils of a refugee’s journey can also provide the opportunity to live, to love and to dream.
A reminder that we are collecting non-perishable items for the St Vincent’s Winter appeal. There is a drop-off point in the front office where students can place these items. We’re working to fill the white space up with items.
Do you or someone that you know need some help?
If you need help with groceries and shopping vouchers go to -
The Cottage 20 Sloane St Stawell. Open Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays between 10:30am and 12:30pm. In out of hours emergencies ring 0408 038 949.
If you need help with fresh fruit and vegetables go to -
Stawell Neighbourhood House 42 Sloane St. Open Mondays – Fridays 9am -5pm.
If you need help other than groceries and food, contact – Stawell St Vincent de Paul Society – 0437 344 324 and leave a message. They will contact you within 24 hours.
Mary Rita Thomas
Sec. and Public Officer, Stawell Inter Church Council (welfare Cottage)
President, Stawell conference of the St Vincent de Paul Society
FUNDRAISING:
Each Friday our MiniVinnies group will be selling Zooper Doopers for $1.00 each St Vincent de Paul Sponsor a student program. As always we thank our St Patrick’s community for your support.
Mary MacKillop Award:
Mary MacKillop lived a life dedicated to her faith and serving the needs of others. Wherever and however she could, Mary MacKillop did everything possible to improve the lives of others. This award acknowledges the thoughtful actions of the students at St Patrick’s to help others.
“We have much to be thankful for” Saint Mary MacKillop
Elsie D
For showing great kindness and thinking of others throughout the school.
Thank you for your Kindness.
Billie
For showing great kindness and compassion with your nurturing and gentle approach towards others.
Thank you for your Kindness.
Birthdays:
Congratulations to these students who celebrated their birthday in the last fortnight:
Flynn, Zarli and Awuom
Parents and Friends:
That’s a wrap on Term 2 for P&F!
Our very first Wellness Day lunch order was a huge success – thank you to all the parents who returned their children’s orders so promptly. Sushi and tacos were a big hit with the students, and we loved seeing so many happy faces at lunch!
Looking ahead, Term 3 is shaping up to be a busy and exciting one. Keep an eye on our Facebook page, the school newsletter, and Class Dojo for details on:
• Book Week Morning Tea
• Annual Father’s Day Stall
• Oodie/Hoodie/Footy Lunch
We’ll also be kicking off Christmas Raffle ticket sales at the school concert in September. More info to come.
As always, a big thank you to our amazing P&F committee and our wonderful parent helpers. Your ongoing support makes all of this possible.
President,
Kate Field
Diocesan/Parish news:
Mass Times:
Ararat Sunday 8.30am
Stawell Sunday 10.30am
Lake Bolac 1st, 3rd, 5th Sundays 6.30pm Vigil Sat
Landsborough 2nd, 4th Sundays 12.30pm
Glenthompson (Hamilton Parish) 2nd, 4th Sundays 8.30am
Please find below the link for the March 2025 edition of “Our Diocesan Community”
This Magazine is a way to share the good news stories of our schools, parishes and agencies across the diocese.
https://www.ballarat.catholic.
Around Our Community:
Please follow us on instagram; stpatsstawell
Upcoming Events:
Our Vision and Mission:
Vision Statement: St Patrick's School is a community which reflects and celebrates Christ as its centre point: By honoring our story we value our whole community. By coming together our vision is for a loving, just, compassionate and tolerant world. Mission Statement: In the tradition of St Patrick, we are committed to: Promoting and celebrating a love of God, self and community. Recognizing and enhancing the talents and uniqueness of each person through our vision of Prayer, Care and Learning. PRAYER We nurture and grow our relationship with God as members of a faith community. CARE We foster recognition of difference, compassion for others and the strength to act on our beliefs. LEARNING We develop the knowledge, attitudes and skills essential to reaching our full potential as life- long learners.